In many sporting events and exercises, an athlete repetitively passes a reference point by which distance is measured. A common example of one such activity which has recently gained widespread attention and participation by the public is running. Running has become an integral part of most exercise programs and provides an excellent means for attaining physical fitness. Swimming is another activity which provides good heath benefits including cardiovascular conditioning. Still another activity that has gained recent popularity is the triathalon which combines running, swimming and biking. Frequent walking is also an excellent exercies. As the clincial evidence supporting the link between exercise, good health and longevity increases, so does the number of individuals who run and swim frequently. Physicians and physical therapists commonly designate running and swimming as preferred treatment modalities for victims of cardiovascular accidents and to rehabilitate patients suffering from neurological deficits.
Many athletes run on a circular or oval track which may be located outdoors or housed in a health club or sports arena. In particular, the number of health club tracks and pools has increased greatly to facilitate running and swimming during inclement weather. The length of the track is generally known and most tracks are configured so that an integral number of laps around the track equals a standard unit of distance such as a mile or a kilometer. For example, a one mile (1760 yards) swim in a standard pool equals thirty-five laps or seventy lengths. On a typical indoor running track, a runner must complete eleven laps for a mile run. During training, 10 K runners generally run from three to fewer miles which may require as many as forty or fifty laps. Of course, at any one time multiple runners may be present on the same track. The reference point by which the runner passes on each trip around the track is generally referred to as the start or finish line. In a designated run of one mile on a track having a lap length of one quarter mile, the runner may refer to a single lap as a quarter mile split or simply a "split." When attempting to complete the run within a predetermined time period, a runner may develop a strategy based on completing the splits within a target time. Thus, a runner can set a pace based on achieved and predicted time goals.
Swimmers, particularly those who swim in a pool, swim laps in the pool lanes which extend from end-to-end of the pool. A swimmer begins at one end of the pool, swims to the other end and then turns to return to the starting point. This is generally considered to be a single lap. Again, as in running, the pool is structured such that a single lap is a predetermined distance such as 20 meters. Hence, a hundred meter swim may consist of five 20 meter laps. Each lap may be considered a split. In competitive running and swimming, the number of laps a contestant completes in a race and the elapsed time is determined by the officials who simply count the number of laps completed and measure the elapsed time with a stopwatch. During training, coaches or trainers may take these determinations. In some instances, the lap count and elapsed time may be conveyed to the athlete using hand-signals or the like. By keeping track of the number of laps completed, trainers remove this burden from the runners. In swimming events, the ends of the pool may be equipped with pressure plates which, when depressed by the swimmer during the turn, "count" the lap. These "touch pads," as they are commonly referred to, are discrete units which register contact of only a single swimmer. Touch pads are generally used only during swim meets and, in long swims, in conjunction with manual lap counting. However, the information provided by touch pad contact is generally not available to the swimmer during the swim unless the pads are linked to a large display.
While the aforementioned limited information may be made available to an athlete during an athletic meet or possibly during training when a trainer is present, usually a runner or swimmer is left to his own accord to count the number of laps completed and measure the elapsed time. Hence, in most settings an athlete is left to his own devices to determine this information. Therefore, most runners and swimmers attempt to mentally tally the number of laps completed. If the athlete also has a watch or a stopwatch, the elapsed time for the total run and possibly for each split may be calculated. However, as runners and swimmers will appreciate, even slight distractions may cause one to lose count of the number of laps comopleted or the precise time at which a particular split was started or finished. Others in the past have attempted to assist athletes in counting laps, estimating distance travelled and determining elapsed time through various devices including hand-held counters, pacing timers, pedometers, and wristworn stopwatches.
Hand-held counters are generally mechanical devices having a plunger which is depressed by a runner as he passes a reference point each lap around the track. That is, the counter is held in the runner's hand throughout the run and the plunger is depressed once for each lap. Some electronic versions of manually activated hand-held counters are known. Provided the runner remembers to register the lap, these hand-held counters generally give an accurate indication of the number of laps completed. Most are provided with a simple mechanical display. While hand-held counters may be suitable for some purposes, they can only provide very limited information and require the participation and thus concentration of the athlete. Some runners have stated that the act of holding and depressing the plunger on a hand-held counter produces arm cramps and associated shoulder and neck tension during long runs and interferes with their concentration. Moreover, since swimming requires the use of the hands to displace water, hand-held devices are impractical. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an automatic method of counting laps which does not require a hand-held device or the deliberate interaction of the athlete.
Pacing timers, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,041 to Smith, simply generate an audible tone or "stride tone" at preselected intervals. The runner is "paced" by the periodic tone which the runner attempts to match by each stride or every other stride. Pedometers estimate distance walked based on a programmed stride length for a given individual. In combination, the features of pacing timers and pedometers may yield estimated information of distance completed and elapsed time. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this information is often inaccurate and the methods are quite inflexible. Similarly, while stopwatches give accurate information concerning elasped time, they require the deliberate interaction of the runner and area again generally impractical for swimmers. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for automatically counting laps. It would also be desirable to provide such a method and apparatus which automatically determines elapsed time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,478,344 to Schwitzgebel, an electronic system for behavioral supervision is disclosed which includes a wrist unit and transceiver to be worn by an individual. The wrist unit includes a modulated oscillator and two battery compartments. A central station is provided which interrogates the transceiver. In response to a coded interrogating signal from the central station, the transceiver transmits a response for location and indentification purposes. The wrist unit includes a code generator oscillator unit and the transceiver is responsive to the wrist carried oscillator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,407 to McBride et al. discloses a low power infrared information transmission system having a portable transmitter which emits a modulated infrared light beam. As disclosed, the device is used to control a video game or T.V., to provide a communications link for a portable microphone or telephone set, or to transmit medical information from medical electrodes affixed to a patient.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,190 to Chirbeadre et al. at electronic odometer and speedometer for bicycles is disclosed. The device computes distance and speed based upon input signals generated by the interruption of a light beam by each spoke and the valve stem of a bicycle wheel. Other methods of transmitting information via light beam which will be known to those skilled in the art may also be useful in the present invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,953 to Simon et al. a personnel locater and display system which indicates the room numbers in which individuals are located at a given moment is disclosed. The device includes small, ultrasonic or radio frequency portable transmitters that are worn by the individuals to be monitored. Corresponding receivers are positioned in each of the rooms to be monitored.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,385 to White teaches an infrared personnel locater system which includes a transmitter unit which is worn by the person to be identified. The portable infrared transmitter units emit a coded infrared signal and the signal is keyed to a particular individual. A receiver mounted above an entry way such as a door is provided to detect the coded infrared signal to identify an individual. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,599 a pacing timer is set forth which includes a transducer that is disclosed as a pressure transducer in the heels of jogger's shoes. The pressure transducer is activated each time a jogger takes a step. A pacer emits an audible tone each time the jogger's pace exceeds or falls below a preselected pace.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,146 to Lennington discloses an object identification system wherein a transponder is mounted on an object such as an automobile. A corresponding interrogator is mounted on the entry way of a parking structure or the like. A light pulse from the interrogator is received by the mobile transponder which in turn emits a coded light signal that is received by the interrogator for the purpose of identifying the mobile unit. If identification is made, it is suggested that the interrogator can then respond by lifting a gate to allow a vehicle to enter the parking structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,870 discloses an optical data link for data communication using a modulated light beam.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,064 to Shipley discloses an infrared pulse communication system for determining the location of a person or object. A plurality of portable transmitter each generating automatically and repetitively a unique signal consisting of pulses of infrared radiation are provided along with a plurality of fixed receivers positioned to cover different areas of a facility. Each of the receivers is capable of sensing and storing the signal generated by the transmitter. This system is designed for locating personnel at large facility.
None of the aforementioned patents disclose or suggest a method or apparatus for automatically counting laps.